Enterprises Look for New Digital Workplace Tools During Ongoing Pandemic

ISG Provider Lens report finds companies looking for help with video conferencing, chatbot-based support

STAMFORD, Conn., Nov. 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Enterprises are looking for provider support for online conferencing solutions and automated IT support bots as many continue to rely on remote working during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report published today by Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a leading global technology research and advisory firm.

The 2020 ISG Provider Lens Digital Workplace of the Future Archetype Report also finds that the continuing pandemic has highlighted the need for workplace transformation at many enterprises, although the need differs from company to company.

“Millions of employees have moved to a remote working environment or a home setup,” said Jan Erik Aase, director and global leader, ISG Provider Lens Research. “The global pandemic has accelerated the shift to many digital technologies, which would otherwise have taken years to implement, and workplace technologies are no exception.”

The report finds a surge in demand for video conferencing solutions such as Zoom, Cisco Webex and BlueJeans and for comprehensive workplace tools such as Google’s G-Suite.

At many companies, the focus on automation-led workplace support is also accelerating, with more clients rapidly implementing automated chatbots or artificial intelligence-enabled solutions to assist service desk support agents, the report says. While some clients have just started adopting these technologies, others have made significant progress implementing them.

Many enterprises want chatbot-enabled service desk support, but are still figuring out the best way to implement this technology, the report adds. Chatbot-enabled service desks have become an essential feature as many employees work from home and have limited ability to speak with a service desk agent virtually or in person.

Automated support capabilities have great potential for enhancing end-user experience, though they are often seen only as an enabler of greater cost savings and improved efficiency for service desk agents, the report says. For many enterprises, the focus is less on user experience and more on sustaining themselves with higher efficiency at minimum costs. Clients are also looking for hard, real and quantifiable evidence of improvements in costs and operational efficiency.